I Am a Runner

I am a runner. In fact, I have spent many years of my life running from...
 
As a child, I ran from the other kids who made fun of me because of my weight, and found places to hide and cry...
 
As a teen, I ran from the pain of feeling alone and misunderstood because I was always the biggest kid in every class...
 
As a college student, I ran from the reality of the food choices I was making and the harm I was doing to my body through over-eating and making excuses for my size...
 
As an young adult, I ran from the belief that I could ever make a change and lose weight, and I held onto the idea that being obese was just my lot in life...
 
Today, however, I no longer run from, but I run to...
 
I run to the truth that, with God as my foundation and my help, change is indeed possible!
 
I run to a future of healthy living and well-being!
 
I run to prove to myself that there is an athlete who has lived inside of me all along, and I have finally set her free!
 
I run to show my kids that they can set huge goals in life and reach them through commitment!
 
Today, I run because...
 
I run because the joy I experience in the freedom of movement is overwhelming! (I will neither confirm nor deny that I have had a "Sound of Music" mountain top moment, running, with my arms flung open wide and twirling on the back half of the track at the local park...more than once!)
 
I run because I have always been the slowest and the last in every sport and always dreaded gym class because I couldn't keep up, but I now know my body can be pushed farther than it ever has before!

I run because I want to encourage others that you don’t have to be at your goal weight to get up off the couch and start moving!
 
I run, simply because.....I can!
 
As someone who used to barely be able to walk to the mailbox and back, words can hardly explain the feeling I get when I lace up my shoes and hit the pavement. To finish and know that my body has carried me 3, 4, or 5 miles on my own two feet in a matter of minutes makes me well up with tears of thankfulness and amazement. To me, running represents healing, restoration, change, and freedom.
 
I am a runner!

DON’T FORGET:

I would love for you to check out my Facebook page and to Like it while you're there.  Just click this link to go directly to the page (you'll have to log on to Like it) and then don't forget to hover over the Like button and check the box for "show in news feed" so that you don't miss any of the posts:

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(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)

I Did it!

I DID IT!!!!  On Memorial Day morning I completed my first official 5K with a time of 36:18!  What a crazy, eventful, and exciting day it was! 

I trained well in the weeks leading up to the event, and had my pace and time down into a good range.  I could easily walk the 3.1 miles in 44-45 minutes, and had done it with a mix of running and walking in about 39 minutes, so I was confident that I could finish with a decent time.  Honestly, I just wanted to finish, and not be the last person over the finish line!  I’ve spent so much of my life being last when it came to any kind physical event, competition, or game, that I really hoped to simply come in somewhere in the middle. 

When the race started, I felt great and headed out at a quick pace (for me anyway).  Thankfully, I remembered to hit “start” on my mapping app as I crossed the starting line.  This became very important later in the day!  As my app announced my distance through my earbuds every half mile, I knew something was drastically wrong when I passed the 3-mile mark and the finish line was no where in sight.  Now, the joke in our family has always been that I am totally, and completely, shall we say, “directionally challenged”.  Having a GPS system on my phone has saved me more times than I care to remember.  Well, before the race started, I looked over the course map as one of the volunteers was going over the 5K and 10K routes that were set up for the day.  I felt great as we started, and when my husband was at the halfway point taking pictures, our camera documented that I was just a couple of minutes behind one of our friends who was also running the race.  The back half of the course, however, proved a bit more challenging for me!

Apparently, in order to get the entire 3.1 mile distance into the course, there was a small detour through a parking lot that the 5K runners had to take towards the end of the course.  Well, it happened to be very close in location to another section of the course, and the volunteers directed me into this area at the wrong point, and then wouldn’t let me out without circling around the cones set-up a couple of times.  Then, once I finally made it out, volunteers made me go back through it again at the end (which is when I should have made just one half-loop through it). 

Once everything was said and done, I covered a total of 4.5 miles, instead of 3.1!  Initially, I was pretty frustrated about it.  After all, this was my first official 5K, and it took me 51minutes to actually cross the finish line for my 4.5 miles.  But the more I thought about it later on, the more I realized what a blessing in disguise it actually was.  You see, I never again have to be afraid of being able to complete a 5K.  After everything I went through a couple of years ago in a 5K walk that I couldn’t finish, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about this run.  Even though I had covered the distance many times over in training, being surrounded by other runners in a race environment was scary.  Knowing that I ran above and beyond the 5K distance has stripped away the fears associated with it, and next time will be even better because of the confidence boost this has given me!

Once the race was completely over, I was able to speak with the people at the timing results table, and they were able to take my running app and verify the altered course that I ran, along with the split times for each mile I covered to figure out my average speed and they calculated my total time for the 5K distance at 36:18. 

I guess you could say that, had I just ran 3.1 miles, I would have been an overcomer, but running 4.5 miles made me more than a conqueror! 

Several of the folks from our church pastoral team ran this race together, and we had shirts that said, “RUN YOUR RACE”, which references the scripture that states, “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV).  Truer words could not have been spoken for me that day!

DON’T FORGET:

I would love for you to check out my Facebook page and to Like it while you're there.  Just click this link to go directly to the page (you'll have to log on to Like it) and then don't forget to hover over the Like button and check the box for "show in news feed" so that you don't miss any of the posts:

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(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)

Happy 2013!

Wow!  When I look back over 2012, it was an incredibly full year!  Some of the health and weight-related highlights for me included:

- Losing 92.1 pounds during the year

- Not having to take reflux medicine even once this year

- Regaining strength in my back and reclaiming my mobility

- Joining a gym

- Discovering that I actually enjoy working out

- Running a 5K distance in the local park in under 46 minutes

- Going down FIVE sizes in jeans (from a 32 to a 22)

- Going down from a size 30/32 to a size 18/20 in tops/dresses/jackets

- Teaching my “Reflections” Bible study series to a great group of women

In my blog from 11/1/12 titled “2012 Year End Goals” I listed 7 specific goals I made for myself to accomplish between 11/1/2 and 12/31/12.  Here’s my list of hits and misses:

1) Lose 15 pounds (this will put me exactly 75 pounds away from my final goal weight!) 

            RESULT: I lost 19 pounds across November and December!!!

2) Work out 3 times a week, even on holiday weeks

            RESULT:  As I noted in a previous post, I am in rehearsals for a show called, “The Music Man”, which I am having a fabulous time with, however, it has thrown my gym schedule into a tizzy!  I have not been in the gym nearly as often as I would have liked to have been, however, I’m getting in some cardio in dance rehearsals, and I’m getting ready to start the 30-Day Shred video workouts at home.

3) Increase the intensity of my workouts (higher weights, increased sets/reps, etc.)

            RESULT:  My trainer at the gym has reformatted my workout to help me accomplish this, and as soon as my show finishes, I’m going to head into my new routine.  For now, the videos at home will at least provide a fresh approach and keep me moving.

4) Register for my first 5K run

            RESULT:  I had planned to register for the local zoo’s 5K, which is held in January, however, I’ve got a rehearsal I can’t miss on the day of the run, so I’m going to look for a 5K for March or April instead.  I just need to find one now and get registered!

5) Increase my running speed/endurance (move from running intervals to extended periods of running)

            RESULT:  I have been making improvements in this area, but still have a long way to go!  This will be an ongoing goal.

6) Go down one size in jeans

            RESULT:  Yes!  I was in a size 24 on November 1^st, and am currently in a size 22, and  am not too far from moving down again to a size 20.  The last time I wore a size 20 jeans,  I was in the 7^th grade!

7) Pay attention to and appreciate the people and interactions at holiday gatherings more than the food

            RESULT:  I had one of the best holiday seasons I can remember having!  I truly enjoyed my time with family and friends and didn’t stress over food.  I wasn’t fixated on the goodies, but I wasn’t scared to eat either.  I kept things in balance far more than I indulged.  I had more hugs than cookies, and that equals success!

How was your holiday season?  Did you accomplish your goals?  What are you working on for 2013?

(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)



2012 Year-End Goals

I can't believe today is November 1st and we've only got two months left of 2012!  Yesterday couldn't possibly have been Halloween, could it?  I think it was actually Valentine's Day and everyone was just confused...either that, or this year is absolutely flying by!

I guess reality wins out, because today I'm thinking about the goals I want to achieve between now and the end of the year.  For so many years in my past, Halloween was the kick-off to the prime food and goodies time of the year that involved several holiday parties and get-togethers over the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, and wrapped up with our annual family New Year's Day bash, guaranteeing each new year was started by trying to find my way out of a food coma.  But, by golly, times have changed!

Last year, I did really well throughout November and December by maintaining my weight, and actually losing a pound or two during that time.  I had only started my weight loss efforts in June 2011, so by Thanksgiving, I was only 5 months in with 56 pounds lost, but was determined I wouldn't blow it over the holidays.  To that end, I made a conscious decision to raise my daily calorie intake from loss levels to maintenance levels for those two months.  That allowed me a little wiggle room but still kept me in check as I continued to log everything I ate.  Yes, I even journaled my food on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day!

This year, however, things are a little different.  I'm now 16 months in with a loss of 136 pounds, and I really don't want to give up making progress for the next two months just because it's the holidays.  I've decided to go to maintenance levels (which affords me a few hundred extra calories per day) only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days, not for the entire season this year.  The fact is, I like wearing smaller clothes and feeling better far more than I like pumpkin pie or yeast rolls!

That being said, I'm heading into the final weeks of 2012 with specific health and weight goals I want to reach and with a plan in place to achieve them, and I thought I'd share a couple of them with you here.

November & December 2012 Goals
1) Lose 15 pounds (this will put me exactly 75 pounds away from my final goal weight!)
2) Work out 3 times a week, even on holiday weeks
3) Increase the intensity of my work outs (higher weights, increased sets/reps, etc.)
4) Register for my first 5K run
5) Increase my running speed/endurance (move from running intervals to extended periods of running)
6) Go down one size in jeans
7) Pay attention to and appreciate the people and interactions at holiday gatherings more than the food

So, there you have it!  Those are a few of my goals.  Have you started thinking about the end of the year yet?  What kind of goals are you setting?  I'd love to hear from you!  Let's finish this year off feeling great about ourselves by making healthy choices!

Finishing What I Started

This weekend I celebrated a major accomplishment!  I went to a park near our house and walked/jogged a 5K!  My total time was 45min 56sec for 3.13 miles.  I missed grabbing a screen shot of the mapping app right at the 5K distance and snapped it at 0.2 after, so I don’t have the time for 3.1 miles exactly.  I actually kept going though and did a grand total of 3.5 miles in 50min 52sec (which included a brief stop for about 10seconds to say a quick hello to some friends from church that happened to be driving by and pulled over when they spotted me).

Now, in the grand scheme of things, I realize that people complete 5K races on a regular basis, and that my speed may not have been all that fast, but let me explain why this is such a great success for me...

In September 2009, our church participated in a charitable 5K event.  My family, along with many others, registered for it.  This was almost two years before I started on my weight loss journey, and the farthest I was walking those days was from my house to the car, or in and out of my office, etc.  I really didn't take that into consideration when I signed up for the event back then, and just figured that since so many of my friends were taking part, I could too.

As we started out that day, I was pushing one of my children in his stroller and thought to myself, "this isn't so hard, I can do this..." but that feeling didn't last very long.  After just a short time, I found myself falling farther and farther behind in the pack of runners, joggers, and walkers.  Within a few minutes, I was the absolute last person trekking along.  Literally.  The LAST Person.  The police escort car assigned to bring up the rear was just a few feet behind me, and the space between me and the other folks in front of me was growing longer by the moment.  I was 37 years old and had been passed by everyone else participating in the race by an embarrassing distance, including children, senior citizens, and three women who were pushing people in wheelchairs!  I gave up altogether.  I dropped out of the course and cut across a parking lot and took my boys into the park where the finish line was so they could play while we waited for everyone else to complete the event.

That was three years ago, and the memory of that day has stayed with me.  I felt like such a failure that morning when I could not finish something I had started.  It was something that seemed so easy in my mind, yet my body simply couldn’t keep up back then.  When I started losing weight in June of 2011, one of my goals was to be able to complete a 5K and finish what I started.  15 months and 131 pounds later, I have done just that!  And...I have my eye on an official event I'm considering signing up for soon!

So, even though I was just at a local park, not participating in an official event this past weekend, it might as well have been the Olympics to me!  I experienced a great victory and I feel incredible about it!